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David Hoffman sits down with Mike Ippolito to unpack why 2025 felt brutal despite new all-time highs and why that tension matters for 2026. They argue crypto is entering its “2002 internet” phase, where speculation fades, fundamentals matter, and consolidation accelerates. The conversation covers why Ethereum may see a renaissance, why Bitcoin sentiment could struggle, how prediction markets and equity perps actually play out, and what builders and investors should focus on as crypto matures from hype into real value creation. ------ 📣SPOTIFY PREMIUM RSS FEED | USE CODE: SPOTIFY24  https://bankless.cc/spotify-premium Mike Ippolito https://x.com/MikeIppolito_ https://x.com/MikeIppolito_/status/1870938934337020106 https://blockworks.co/podcast/bellcurve  ------ BANKLESS SPONSOR TOOLS: 🔵COINBASE | ETH & BTC BACKED LOANS https://bankless.cc/coinbase-borrow 🪙FRAXNET | MINT, REDEEM, & EARN  https://bankless.cc/fraxnet 🦄UNISWAP | CONTINUOUS CLEARING AUCTIONS  https://bankless.cc/uniswap-cca 🛞MANTLE | GLOBAL HACKATHON 2025 https://bankless.cc/mantle-hackathon 💤EIGHT SLEEP | IMPROVE YOUR SLEEP https://bankless.cc/eight-sleep ------ TIMESTAMPS 0:00 Intro 0:41 Evaluating 2025: The Best Worst Year 7:19 Looking Ahead to 2026 15:40 Investor Relations in Crypto 24:29 Evolving Revenue Discussions 27:44 The Future of DATS 30:06 VC Investment Trends 35:13 Prediction Markets: Incumbents Win 39:52 The Ethereum Renaissance 45:42 The Quantum Threat to Bitcoin 55:06 Consolidation in Blockchain Infrastructure 1:05:07 Corporate Chains: Hot Starts, Cold Ends 1:10:43 Closing & Disclaimers ------ Not financial or tax advice. See our investment disclosures here: https://www.bankless.com/disclosures

Ben Lakoff and Arnav Pagidyala from Bankless Ventures lay out how they’re thinking about crypto investing heading into 2026. The conversation spans four persistent pillars of every cycle: DeFi, tokenization, capital formation, and speculation and how each is evolving as crypto matures. Topics include the next wave of on-chain lending, equity perps, DeFi neobanks, verticalized tokenization platforms, compliant ICOs, prediction and opinion markets, and where AI agents may reshape crypto-native finance. A candid look at what’s investable now, what’s changing, and how Bankless Ventures is underwriting the next cycle. ------ 📣SPOTIFY PREMIUM RSS FEED | USE CODE: SPOTIFY24  https://bankless.cc/spotify-premium ------ BANKLESS SPONSOR TOOLS: 🔵COINBASE | ETH & BTC BACKED LOANS https://bankless.cc/coinbase-borrow 🪙FRAXNET | MINT, REDEEM, & EARN  https://bankless.cc/fraxnet 🦄UNISWAP | CONTINUOUS CLEARING AUCTIONS  https://bankless.cc/uniswap-cca 🛞MANTLE | GLOBAL HACKATHON 2025 https://bankless.cc/mantle-hackathon 💤EIGHT SLEEP | IMPROVE YOUR SLEEP https://bankless.cc/eight-sleep  ------ TIMESTAMPS 0:00 Intro 11:59 DeFi 36:20 Tokenization 50:25 Capital Formation 1:00:44 Speculation Markets 1:09:58 AI 1:13:26 Founders & Teams 1:15:31 Closing & Disclaimers ------ RESOURCES Ben Lakoff https://x.com/benlakoff  Arnav https://x.com/0xArnav  Bankless Ventures https://x.com/banklessvc  ------ Not financial or tax advice. See our investment disclosures here: https://www.bankless.com/disclosures⁠

Ryan and David skip a quiet holiday weekly rollup and instead break down the biggest 2026 crypto forecasts from Bitwise, Coinbase, Galaxy, Grayscale, CoinShares, Fidelity, a16z, and Pantera. They lay out the clearest consensus, stablecoins as real payment rails, tokenization scaling beyond pilots, and ETFs expanding institutional access, then hit the big debates around regulation, prediction markets, token value capture, and the growing quantum question for Bitcoin. ------ 📣M0 | THE UNIVERSAL STABLECOIN PLATFORM https://bankless.cc/m0 ------ BANKLESS SPONSOR TOOLS: 🔵COINBASE | ETH & BTC BACKED LOANS https://bankless.cc/coinbase-borrow 🪙FRAXNET | MINT, REDEEM, & EARN  https://bankless.cc/fraxnet 🦄UNISWAP | CONTINUOUS CLEARING AUCTIONS  https://bankless.cc/uniswap-cca 🛞MANTLE | GLOBAL HACKATHON 2025 https://bankless.cc/mantle-hackathon 💤EIGHT SLEEP | IMPROVE YOUR SLEEP https://bankless.cc/eight-sleep ------ TIMESTAMPS 0:00 Intro 2:14 Predictions for Stablecoins 6:42 Tokenization Trends 11:27 ETF Explosion 11:45 Market Structure Legislation 14:06 Prediction Markets Rise 15:20 Quantum Concerns 20:29 Broad Themes Emerge 24:11 Hybrid Finance Concept 28:02 Privacy in Crypto 33:27 DEX Transition Predictions 35:09 Tokenomics Evolution 39:43 Controversies in Predictions 42:58 Market Cycles & Macro Trends 48:12 Year-End Reflections on Ethereum 1:01:08 Bitcoin's Performance Overview 1:10:03 Future Visions for Crypto 1:10:40 Closing & Disclaimers ------ Not financial or tax advice. See our investment disclosures here: https://www.bankless.com/disclosures

Is the crypto cycle already over? Ben Cowen returns to break down what a post-euphoria cycle looks like, why Bitcoin may have already topped, and how 2026 could play out across crypto, stocks, and macro. We explore the case for a prolonged bear market, why a true alt season may not arrive, and the narrow scenarios where Ethereum could still make a fleeting run at new highs. From Fed policy and labor markets to AI stealing investor attention, this episode maps the competing paths ahead and what patient investors should be watching next. ------ 📣INTO THE CRYPTOVERSE | GET 10% OFF https://intothecryptoverse.com/ref/bankless/ ------ BANKLESS SPONSOR TOOLS: 🔵COINBASE | ETH & BTC BACKED LOANS https://bankless.cc/coinbase-borrow 🪙FRAXNET | MINT, REDEEM, & EARN  https://bankless.cc/fraxnet 🦄UNISWAP | CONTINUOUS CLEARING AUCTIONS  https://bankless.cc/uniswap-cca 🛞MANTLE | GLOBAL HACKATHON 2025 https://bankless.cc/mantle-hackathon 💤EIGHT SLEEP | IMPROVE YOUR SLEEP https://bankless.cc/eight-sleep ------ TIMESTAMPS 0:00 Intro 0:49 Bitcoin's Cycle & its Implications 2:18 Ethereum's Performance & Expectations 8:58 Future Predictions for Ethereum 10:39 Comparing Ethereum to Tesla 12:32 The State of the Altcoin Market 18:26 Disappointment & Hope for ETH Holders 20:23 Macro Factors Affecting Crypto 24:37 Why No Euphoria This Cycle? 32:56 The Shift of Investor Attention 37:56 The Future of Crypto Cycles 44:16 The Need for Utility in Crypto 56:14 Gold vs. Bitcoin: A Comparison 59:45 Bitcoin's Unique Position in the Market 1:02:31 Patience and Strategy for Crypto Investors 1:06:01 Closing & Disclaimers ------ RESOURCES Ben Cowen https://x.com/intocryptoverse Ben’s Channel https://www.youtube.com/@intothecryptoverse ------ Not financial or tax advice. See our investment disclosures here: https://www.bankless.com/disclosures

Joey Krug (Founders Fund partner, former Pantera co-CIO, and Augur co-founder) returns to unpack whether the “crypto-native era” is fading as institutions and mainstream apps adopt crypto rails without adopting crypto culture.  We dig into prediction markets’ breakout (and why Polymarket finally found product-market fit), the coming regulatory fights around market structure and “insider” edges, and what’s next for founders building in a post-cypherpunk, distribution-first phase of crypto. ------ 📣SPOTIFY PREMIUM RSS FEED | USE CODE: SPOTIFY24  https://bankless.cc/spotify-premium ------ BANKLESS SPONSOR TOOLS: 🔵COINBASE | ETH & BTC BACKED LOANS https://bankless.cc/coinbase-borrow 🪙FRAXNET | MINT, REDEEM, & EARN  https://bankless.cc/fraxnet 🦄UNISWAP | CONTINUOUS CLEARING AUCTIONS  https://bankless.cc/uniswap-cca 🛞MANTLE | GLOBAL HACKATHON 2025 https://bankless.cc/mantle-hackathon 💤EIGHT SLEEP | IMPROVE YOUR SLEEP https://bankless.cc/eight-sleep  ------ TIMESTAMPS 0:00 Intro 5:45 Is Crypto-Native Dead? 16:37 Lessons From Augur 20:29 Prediction Market’s Success 25:24 Just Gambling? 27:50 Prediction Market Regulation 41:03 Founders Fund Polymarket Bet 44:37 FBI Raid 46:47 Founders Fund Crypto Investment Thesis 53:46 DATs 57:02 Layer1 Valuation 1:00:40 ETH Valuation 1:04:32 What Would Joey Build Today? 1:06:13 Crypto x AI 1:10:09 Frontier Tech x Crypto 1:14:26 4-Year Cycles 1:16:16 Less Upside in Crypto Now? 1:19:37 Crypto Privacy 1:20:41 Last & Next Decade 1:23:05 Closing & Disclaimers ------ RESOURCES Joey Krug https://x.com/joeykrug  Augur https://augur.net/  Founders Fund https://foundersfund.com/  ------ Not financial or tax advice. See our investment disclosures here: https://www.bankless.com/disclosures⁠